Global Entry [wait time for interview]

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Prudence
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Global Entry [wait time for interview]

Post by Prudence »

We submitted our applications and have conditional approval for the GE. We have travel plans in April and September so we were hoping to receive our GE before the April trip. We live in Maryland. According to the web-site, no interview appointments are available now at all in Maryland, DC and Virginia, except at Dulles Airport, where the first available appointment is in October! Is this insanely long wait time pretty typical?
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whodidntante
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Re: Global Entry

Post by whodidntante »

I think I was able to get an appointment in approximately 4 weeks at a small international airport. Some possibilities:
1) Look at small international airports :)
2) Look for appointments at the departure or destination airport on the dates of upcoming travel.
3) Check daily (for cancellations in the short term)
4) Drive further for your appointment.
TravelGeek
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Re: Global Entry

Post by TravelGeek »

Prudence wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:04 pm We submitted our applications and have conditional approval for the GE. We have travel plans in April and September so we were hoping to receive our GE before the April trip. We live in Maryland. According to the web-site, no interview appointments are available now at all in Maryland, DC and Virginia, except at Dulles Airport, where the first available appointment is in October! Is this insanely long wait time pretty typical?
Consider trying the Interview on Arrival method

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-trav ... nt-arrival
dukeblue219
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Re: Global Entry

Post by dukeblue219 »

You can do you interview upon your return to the US:

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-trav ... nt-arrival
elvisimprsntr
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Re: Global Entry

Post by elvisimprsntr »

It's typical. Took me 9 months to get my GE+Nexus, but that was due to timing of approval vs long term business travel, and the need to get an iris scan in Canada to use for air travel.
badger42
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Re: Global Entry

Post by badger42 »

Currently, this appears to be the situation. I have a renewal that has been "pending review" for 6 months. CBP also recently extended the grace period for "renewal in progress" from 6 months to 1 year, so this appears to be a systemic issue.

Keep in mind that if you are traveling internationally into one of the airports that offer it, you can do "enrollment on entry" if you have a conditional approval. This does not require an appointment, but does require you to leave the country and return through one of the designated airports (list is at https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-trav ... nt-arrival and includes some pre-clearance airports such as Vancouver and Shannon). A co-worker did this and said it took a total of about 15 minutes, including a short wait.
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fizxman
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Re: Global Entry

Post by fizxman »

For reference, my wife and I scheduled our interview for one month after our approval. There might have been some times available on an earlier day but we wanted to do it on a weekend so we didn't have to take time off. Our interview took place an hour away and it lasted 5 minutes in total.
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galving
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Re: Global Entry

Post by galving »

I recall the interview to be underwhelming.
Horsefly
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Re: Global Entry

Post by Horsefly »

My wife and I do have Global Entry, but the last couple of times we've returned to the US we used Mobile Passport. It was very easy and seemed to work about as well as Global Entry. Fact is, we will need to renew our Global Entry in 2021, but I'm thinking we may just go for the Precheck and use Mobile Passport for re-entry into the US. It could be that is what CBP is trying to encourage, by making GE interviews so hard to schedule.
Chip
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Re: Global Entry

Post by Chip »

I have friends in a similar situation (no appointments available). They just completed an interview on arrival.

Interestingly, we applied about a month before them and were able to get an interview in about 6 weeks. I'm guessing, but I'm thinking maybe CBP is trying to phase out all interview appointments in favor of interview on arrival.

A little OT, but what is the purpose of the GE card that I received in the mail? On my first GE arrival I didn't use it at all, just the passport at the GE kiosk.
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Bogle7
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Re: Global Entry

Post by Bogle7 »

TravelGeek wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:10 pmConsider trying the Interview on Arrival method
+1
We did this.
Zero wait to talk with the guy.
Took about 10 minutes for both of us. One person had to do her fingerprints a zillion times as she has shallow lines/grooves.
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TravelGeek
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Re: Global Entry

Post by TravelGeek »

Chip wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:49 pm
A little OT, but what is the purpose of the GE card that I received in the mail? On my first GE arrival I didn't use it at all, just the passport at the GE kiosk.
See https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-trav ... entry/card

Also, the Global Entry card is a RealID document. This might be helpful if your state’s drivers license isn’t RealID yet (current plan of record is for TSA to require RealID starting in October). And it also can serve as a backup ID when traveling. I take it with me in my spare wallet (together with a couple of backup credit cards) when traveling domestically. If I were to lose my drivers license, I would still be able to get through airport TSA without problems using the Global Entry card.
Last edited by TravelGeek on Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
stan1
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Re: Global Entry

Post by stan1 »

They got backlogged last year due to government shutdown and then by staff being transferred to deal with other border issues. Also the program has been running long enough that they now have to do renewals. Some people have the interview waived for a renewal; others have to be reinterviewed.

Agree interview on arrival may be the best choice and I'd plan for that when you return on your first trip.
Warning: I am about 80% satisficer (accepting of good enough) and 20% maximizer
sad2
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Re: Global Entry

Post by sad2 »

Horsefly wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:36 pm My wife and I do have Global Entry, but the last couple of times we've returned to the US we used Mobile Passport. It was very easy and seemed to work about as well as Global Entry. Fact is, we will need to renew our Global Entry in 2021, but I'm thinking we may just go for the Precheck and use Mobile Passport for re-entry into the US. It could be that is what CBP is trying to encourage, by making GE interviews so hard to schedule.


+1

Flying in and out of Denver, Mobile Passport lines are shorter than the Global Entry lines.
Topic Author
Prudence
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Re: Global Entry

Post by Prudence »

stan1 wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:58 pm They got backlogged last year due to government shutdown and then by staff being transferred to deal with other border issues. Also the program has been running long enough that they now have to do renewals. Some people have the interview waived for a renewal; others have to be reinterviewed.

Agree interview on arrival may be the best choice and I'd plan for that when you return on your first trip.
Just to confirm, interview on arrival applies only to arriving from outside the U.S. to an international airport, right? So, we can't use this program upon arrival on a domestic flight? Thank you.
TravelGeek
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Re: Global Entry

Post by TravelGeek »

Prudence wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 1:54 pm
Just to confirm, interview on arrival applies only to arriving from outside the U.S. to an international airport, right? So, we can't use this program upon arrival on a domestic flight? Thank you.
Correct.
stan1
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Re: Global Entry

Post by stan1 »

Also Mobile Passport is a very good suggestion. At my primary airport it can be faster to use Mobile Passport than Global Entry depending upon what order you get off the plane (row number) and how busy the global entry kiosks are. My primary airport also has self service non-Global Entry kiosks which are sometimes under utilized and can be much faster than standing in line. People who use Mobile Passport are directed to the same line as Global Entry (after they use the kiosk). Other airports may not operate the same way.
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02nz
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Re: Global Entry

Post by 02nz »

TravelGeek wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 1:56 pm
Prudence wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 1:54 pm
Just to confirm, interview on arrival applies only to arriving from outside the U.S. to an international airport, right? So, we can't use this program upon arrival on a domestic flight? Thank you.
Correct.
Not sure this is actually true. CBP has set up Enrollment on Arrival for international arrivals, but if you're able to get into the appropriate area of the airport (some are landside, i.e., no boarding pass/security check required) I don't think they'll care or check whether you just arrived on an international or domestic flight or if you just drove in from town. Best to call the location and check.
Last edited by 02nz on Sat Jan 25, 2020 4:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mrsbetsy
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Re: Global Entry

Post by mrsbetsy »

When I had my interview at SFO, there were several people walking in and they took them without an appointment. It's worth a try.

The interview lasted <10 minutes and the people were kind, generous with information, and efficient.
UpperNwGuy
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Re: Global Entry

Post by UpperNwGuy »

If you do an interview upon arrival, do you have to have all the same paperwork that they want for the regular interviews? I'm trying to imagine lugging my birth certificate, my Social Security card, a copy of my lease, a utility bill, etc to Europe and back so I can have them at an interview upon arrival.
diy60
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Re: Global Entry

Post by diy60 »

I got my GE about 4 or 5 years ago, so my data point may be outdated. I tried walk-in at 2 different airports and they refused to see me without an appointment. I made an appointment about 1 week out at an airport about 1-1/2 hrs drive from my home. The interview was painless. I no longer use GE when returning to the US, Mobile Passport is fast and works just fine.
LAguy818
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Re: Global Entry

Post by LAguy818 »

UpperNwGuy wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 3:01 pm If you do an interview upon arrival, do you have to have all the same paperwork that they want for the regular interviews? I'm trying to imagine lugging my birth certificate, my Social Security card, a copy of my lease, a utility bill, etc to Europe and back so I can have them at an interview upon arrival.
From the GE site:
To complete the interview via EoA, you must be in possession of the following documents:

A valid passport. If you travel using more than one passport, please bring them all to the interview so that the information can be added to your file. This provides you with the ability to use multiple passports at the Global Entry kiosk.
Documents providing evidence of residency. Examples are: driver's license (if the address is current), mortgage statement, rental payment statement, utility bill, etc. This is not required for minors.
A permanent resident card (if applicable).
So all you need are a passport (natch) and a driver's license/green card. I've done it for my renewal and was pretty easy.

Edit: Added link
WhyNotUs
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Re: Global Entry

Post by WhyNotUs »

This program is a train wreck in my experience. We already had Pre Check and decided to get GE when renewal came up. They cancelled our reservation twice, due to the "emergency" on the southern border", so the regular emails about interview on arrival seemed our best bet. We arrive Saturday mid-day only to learn that the service was only offered M-F during business hours, something not disclosed in the 20 emails that I had received encouraging me to do that instead of an interview.

In the end, they kept my $100 and I do not have GE. A dysfunctional program in my experience.
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02nz
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Re: Global Entry

Post by 02nz »

diy60 wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 3:09 pm I got my GE about 4 or 5 years ago, so my data point may be outdated. I tried walk-in at 2 different airports and they refused to see me without an appointment. I made an appointment about 1 week out at an airport about 1-1/2 hrs drive from my home. The interview was painless. I no longer use GE when returning to the US, Mobile Passport is fast and works just fine.
That was before they started enrollment upon arrival (without appointment) and the current backlog because of the "emergency" on the southern border.
michaeljc70
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Re: Global Entry

Post by michaeljc70 »

Where I live one of the (I believe one of two) major facilities was closed due to building relocation or something. The appointments were 4-6 months out. I kept checking for cancellations and wound up getting something fairly quick. I checked every few days and was flexible with the day/time.
lazydavid
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Re: Global Entry

Post by lazydavid »

02nz wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 2:42 pm Not sure this is actually true. CBP has set up Enrollment on Arrival for international arrivals, but if you're able to get into the appropriate area of the airport (some are landside, i.e., no boarding pass/security check required) I don't think they'll care or check whether you just arrived on an international or domestic flight or if you just drove in from town. Best to call the location and check.
We went for our interviews in November, and while we were in the waiting room, we watched at least 8 people come in and ask for a walk-in. Every single one was told that they stopped talking walk-ins early in the year. You MUST have a boarding pass from an inbound-from-international flight from TODAY if you want to interview without a pre-scheduled appointment.
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GerryL
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Re: Global Entry

Post by GerryL »

mrsbetsy wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 2:55 pm When I had my interview at SFO, there were several people walking in and they took them without an appointment. It's worth a try.

The interview lasted <10 minutes and the people were kind, generous with information, and efficient.
I've heard that you can try a walk-in. Works at some locations at some times. If you're not too far from the office, worth a try … or two.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Global Entry

Post by quantAndHold »

When we did it, the appointments at the closest site were 5 months out, but if we were willing to drive 3 hours to a land border crossing, we could get an appointment within the week.

The interview just asks you, in person, the exact same questions you already answered online. We received our final approval on the way home from the interview.
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6miths
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Re: Global Entry

Post by 6miths »

quantAndHold wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 8:21 pm When we did it, the appointments at the closest site were 5 months out, but if we were willing to drive 3 hours to a land border crossing, we could get an appointment within the week.

The interview just asks you, in person, the exact same questions you already answered online. We received our final approval on the way home from the interview.
This was my experience almost 10 years ago. Appointments at Toronto's International Airport were 6 months out, Buffalo, NY border crossing was 2 months and Port Huron, Michigan was a week. Drove the 2 hours to Pt Huron. Interview wasn't very involved. Four years ago DW did hers at Toronto and it was cursory at best. Both got eye scans at that time. They have gone to facial recognition now.
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harrychan
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Re: Global Entry

Post by harrychan »

stan1 wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 2:33 pm Also Mobile Passport is a very good suggestion. At my primary airport it can be faster to use Mobile Passport than Global Entry depending upon what order you get off the plane (row number) and how busy the global entry kiosks are. My primary airport also has self service non-Global Entry kiosks which are sometimes under utilized and can be much faster than standing in line. People who use Mobile Passport are directed to the same line as Global Entry (after they use the kiosk). Other airports may not operate the same way.
This. There is virtually no wait with mobile passport. The only downside to this over global entry is you can skip the lines when going through the line to declare goods at customs.
This is not legal or certified financial advice but you know that already.
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yatesd
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Re: Global Entry

Post by yatesd »

OK, unfortunately I am an expert in this area. :annoyed

My Global Entry expired and when I went to renew it gave me an interview date 4 months out. When I arrived at the BWI airport there were no lines and the guy mentioned, "yeah, most people don't know this...but BWI is one of the few locations where you can just walk in for an interview".

Anyway, this was very frustrating since I live 15 minutes from the airport. Instead I had to leave work early on a specific day and wait months for absolutely no reason.

Fast forward, I decided to also sign up our 14 year old daughter (Asia vacation, and benefit is paid by Amex). I signed her up, scheduled appointment (which was for months after our vacation), but then showed up without an appointment. The hours are limited (I believe 2-5PM, M-F), and when we showed up at 2:00 there was quite a few people onsite. We waited for about 45 minutes but walked out the same day.
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sunny_socal
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Re: Global Entry

Post by sunny_socal »

I have GE but there has been very little benefit:
- Outside the US no one uses this. It's only good for travel within the US or when returning. If much of your travel is international you'll still burn a lot of time going through security with the cattle (moo)
- The re-entry experience varies with airports. At a large hub like Chicago or Newark it saves you time. At small airports there tend to be other bottlenecks such as luggage handling.
- Everyone gets to use the automated kiosks now, GE doesn't make you special
- Despite having GE I tend to get picked for the "random" frisking. It's not random: I was born in one of the *stan countries, I'm considered a threat :wink:
- Also varies per airline, but sometimes the check-in takes forever. British Airways is terrible, figure 1hr wait. This completely wipes out the 5min I may save with TSA Pre. (I almost always have luggage to check since my trips are usually longer than a week)
- Doesn't help when traveling with family. I stay with them at all times.

Air travel is all about "hurry up and wait", there are no real shortcuts. About the best thing you can do is get used to a carry-on.
Mapmaker
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Re: Global Entry

Post by Mapmaker »

I renewed my Global Entry last year a few months before my birthday expiration date. A new interview wasn’t required, and I got my new card ( same info and picture with a new expiration date in 2024) in the mail within a couple weeks. A month before my birthday, I got an e-mail saying that my trusted traveler membership would be expiring soon. I figured the bureaucracy would catch up, and I used my renewed card coming back from Europe in September. This morning I got another email:
Your Trusted Traveler membership will be expiring soon.
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flyingaway
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Re: Global Entry

Post by flyingaway »

If I would pay for the global entry, I would not bother to get it. It has not been very useful.
smitcat
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Re: Global Entry

Post by smitcat »

We have found that Global entry and the TSA pre that comes along to be very valuable.
p_qrs_t
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Re: Global Entry

Post by p_qrs_t »

I second the original poster walking into BWI. There was a 5 minute wait, and took about 10 minutes total. The Global entry is in the last terminal on the bottom floor. The cards came in the mail abour 10 days after we did the interview.

yatesd wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 5:39 am OK, unfortunately I am an expert in this area. :annoyed

My Global Entry expired and when I went to renew it gave me an interview date 4 months out. When I arrived at the BWI airport there were no lines and the guy mentioned, "yeah, most people don't know this...but BWI is one of the few locations where you can just walk in for an interview".

Anyway, this was very frustrating since I live 15 minutes from the airport. Instead I had to leave work early on a specific day and wait months for absolutely no reason.

Fast forward, I decided to also sign up our 14 year old daughter (Asia vacation, and benefit is paid by Amex). I signed her up, scheduled appointment (which was for months after our vacation), but then showed up without an appointment. The hours are limited (I believe 2-5PM, M-F), and when we showed up at 2:00 there was quite a few people onsite. We waited for about 45 minutes but walked out the same day.
mighty72
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Re: Global Entry

Post by mighty72 »

I have my interview coming up and earliest appointment at SFO was 4 months out so seems like a national phenomenon.
Also, wondering what the interview is like?
michaeljc70
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Re: Global Entry

Post by michaeljc70 »

sunny_socal wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 5:48 am I have GE but there has been very little benefit:
- Outside the US no one uses this. It's only good for travel within the US or when returning. If much of your travel is international you'll still burn a lot of time going through security with the cattle (moo)
- The re-entry experience varies with airports. At a large hub like Chicago or Newark it saves you time. At small airports there tend to be other bottlenecks such as luggage handling.
- Everyone gets to use the automated kiosks now, GE doesn't make you special
- Despite having GE I tend to get picked for the "random" frisking. It's not random: I was born in one of the *stan countries, I'm considered a threat :wink:
- Also varies per airline, but sometimes the check-in takes forever. British Airways is terrible, figure 1hr wait. This completely wipes out the 5min I may save with TSA Pre. (I almost always have luggage to check since my trips are usually longer than a week)
- Doesn't help when traveling with family. I stay with them at all times.

Air travel is all about "hurry up and wait", there are no real shortcuts. About the best thing you can do is get used to a carry-on.
When my spouse and I travel (leaving from a US airport) they get pre-check like me and they don't have global entry and they are not a US citizen. They get to go with me through the shorter security line, not take things out of their bag, etc. Of course, it does nothing for them when returning to the US from a foreign country.
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oldcomputerguy
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Re: Global Entry

Post by oldcomputerguy »

Horsefly wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:36 pm My wife and I do have Global Entry, but the last couple of times we've returned to the US we used Mobile Passport. It was very easy and seemed to work about as well as Global Entry. Fact is, we will need to renew our Global Entry in 2021, but I'm thinking we may just go for the Precheck and use Mobile Passport for re-entry into the US. It could be that is what CBP is trying to encourage, by making GE interviews so hard to schedule.
I had checked out Mobile Passport in the past, and reading here it seemed to me it was something I could set up on my phone again as a backup plan for when the Global Entry queues were full. However, since the last time I looked at it, Mobile Passport has gone to a subscription model for all but the most basic functionality. In particular, you have to be a paid subscriber in order to store your passport in a profile long-term. You can still enter your passport number and associated information when filling out the data for an arrival, but it expires after four hours without the subscription; also, the ability to scan your passport data in (rather than enter it manually) is now a feature of the paid subscription.
mighty72 wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 9:35 am I have my interview coming up and earliest appointment at SFO was 4 months out so seems like a national phenomenon.
Also, wondering what the interview is like?
My wife and I got ours at Dulles International, and it was a piece of cake. We arrived early for our appointment, the office wasn't very busy (one other couple was there ahead of us), and when they called us back to the office the whole process took maybe five to ten minutes for the two of us including taking the photographs.
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oldcomputerguy
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Re: Global Entry

Post by oldcomputerguy »

smitcat wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 9:06 am We have found that Global entry and the TSA pre that comes along to be very valuable.
Second that. Since getting Global Entry in 2017 (we had TSA Precheck prior), we've taken two trips to Europe and three to the Caribbean, plus three trips to Las Vegas and a couple to Philadelphia (for the BH conference :D ). In all the international cases, we were able to sail past long lines at US Immigration on our return, and the Precheck feature let us do likewise at the non-Precheck departure security lines at Las Vegas McCarran (which are normally horrible) as well as at our home airport. Global Entry has been a positive experience for us overall, and we'll definitely be renewing it when it comes up.
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Chip
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Re: Global Entry

Post by Chip »

oldcomputerguy wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 11:19 am I had checked out Mobile Passport in the past, and reading here it seemed to me it was something I could set up on my phone again as a backup plan for when the Global Entry queues were full. However, since the last time I looked at it, Mobile Passport has gone to a subscription model for all but the most basic functionality. In particular, you have to be a paid subscriber in order to store your passport in a profile long-term. You can still enter your passport number and associated information when filling out the data for an arrival, but it expires after four hours without the subscription; also, the ability to scan your passport data in (rather than enter it manually) is now a feature of the paid subscription.
Yes, this "de-featuring" of the free Mobile Passport app is/was most annoying. Though it's not a terrible burden to enter the info on the incoming flight and snap a picture. I'm sure not paying a monthly or annual fee for the convenience of retaining the data.

I thought Global Entry would be the answer to long immigration lines, but this thread has made me realize that the answer depends on the particular airport and the situation on a given date/time. Sigh.
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Re: Global Entry

Post by Horsefly »

oldcomputerguy wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 11:19 am
Horsefly wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:36 pm My wife and I do have Global Entry, but the last couple of times we've returned to the US we used Mobile Passport. It was very easy and seemed to work about as well as Global Entry. Fact is, we will need to renew our Global Entry in 2021, but I'm thinking we may just go for the Precheck and use Mobile Passport for re-entry into the US. It could be that is what CBP is trying to encourage, by making GE interviews so hard to schedule.
I had checked out Mobile Passport in the past, and reading here it seemed to me it was something I could set up on my phone again as a backup plan for when the Global Entry queues were full. However, since the last time I looked at it, Mobile Passport has gone to a subscription model for all but the most basic functionality. In particular, you have to be a paid subscriber in order to store your passport in a profile long-term. You can still enter your passport number and associated information when filling out the data for an arrival, but it expires after four hours without the subscription; also, the ability to scan your passport data in (rather than enter it manually) is now a feature of the paid subscription.
Yeah, I understand. I was able to deal with the issue OK. I just entered all the data by hand for DW and I right as we were landing. It was a bit more work, but not enough (to me) to justify going with GE instead.

I guess I'll say I'm still on the fence about it. If I can renew our GE without an interview, I might do it. If an interview is required and the scheduling is a pain, I might just drop it.
michaeljc70
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Re: Global Entry

Post by michaeljc70 »

Horsefly wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 12:28 pm
oldcomputerguy wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 11:19 am
Horsefly wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:36 pm My wife and I do have Global Entry, but the last couple of times we've returned to the US we used Mobile Passport. It was very easy and seemed to work about as well as Global Entry. Fact is, we will need to renew our Global Entry in 2021, but I'm thinking we may just go for the Precheck and use Mobile Passport for re-entry into the US. It could be that is what CBP is trying to encourage, by making GE interviews so hard to schedule.
I had checked out Mobile Passport in the past, and reading here it seemed to me it was something I could set up on my phone again as a backup plan for when the Global Entry queues were full. However, since the last time I looked at it, Mobile Passport has gone to a subscription model for all but the most basic functionality. In particular, you have to be a paid subscriber in order to store your passport in a profile long-term. You can still enter your passport number and associated information when filling out the data for an arrival, but it expires after four hours without the subscription; also, the ability to scan your passport data in (rather than enter it manually) is now a feature of the paid subscription.
Yeah, I understand. I was able to deal with the issue OK. I just entered all the data by hand for DW and I right as we were landing. It was a bit more work, but not enough (to me) to justify going with GE instead.

I guess I'll say I'm still on the fence about it. If I can renew our GE without an interview, I might do it. If an interview is required and the scheduling is a pain, I might just drop it.
I'm doing the same. Last time my credit card covered the fee so I did it. This time if I have to pay and go for an interview it is probably not worth it. I fly for vacation only and maybe that is 4-5 times a year with 1-2 being international.
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VictorStarr
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Location: Washington

Re: Global Entry [wait time for interview]

Post by VictorStarr »

When I did it, I could not find an interview 6 month out. But I was able to get appointment within 3 days using SFO Global Entry Bot at twitter:
https://twitter.com/GOESbot

Unfortunately, I can not find a similar bot for the IAD.
neilpilot
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Re: Global Entry

Post by neilpilot »

Chip wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 12:06 pm
oldcomputerguy wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 11:19 am I had checked out Mobile Passport in the past, and reading here it seemed to me it was something I could set up on my phone again as a backup plan for when the Global Entry queues were full. However, since the last time I looked at it, Mobile Passport has gone to a subscription model for all but the most basic functionality. In particular, you have to be a paid subscriber in order to store your passport in a profile long-term. You can still enter your passport number and associated information when filling out the data for an arrival, but it expires after four hours without the subscription; also, the ability to scan your passport data in (rather than enter it manually) is now a feature of the paid subscription.
Yes, this "de-featuring" of the free Mobile Passport app is/was most annoying. Though it's not a terrible burden to enter the info on the incoming flight and snap a picture. I'm sure not paying a monthly or annual fee for the convenience of retaining the data.

I thought Global Entry would be the answer to long immigration lines, but this thread has made me realize that the answer depends on the particular airport and the situation on a given date/time. Sigh.
The full featured version of Mobile Passport costs $14.99/yr, with none of the hassles of the GE application and interview. For those BH's who have a hard time parting with $15, you can load the app and then cancel before the 7-day free trial period expires.
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Prudence
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Re: Global Entry [wait time for interview]

Post by Prudence »

I didn't know about Mobile Passport! :( I'll see if I can cancel my application and get my $100 back (plus the $100 or DW). Fat chance!
Chip
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Re: Global Entry

Post by Chip »

neilpilot wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 1:47 pm The full featured version of Mobile Passport costs $14.99/yr, with none of the hassles of the GE application and interview. For those BH's who have a hard time parting with $15, you can load the app and then cancel before the 7-day free trial period expires.
The TSA pre-check feature of Global Entry, plus my expectation of extremely short immigration waits, was the reason I went with GE. I had used Mobile Passport recently (at DFW, I think) and it saved no time vs. standard entry. I expected GE to be better (maybe a mistaken assumption for some ports of entry), plus pre-check has value. Mobile passport plus TSA pre-check for 5 years would run 5*$15 + $85 = $160. And would still require an interview.

I would also note that TSA pre-check will be partially handed off to some private sector providers late this year, who will have the ability to set their own prices and expiration periods. That may be a positive, but only time will tell.
neilpilot
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Re: Global Entry

Post by neilpilot »

Chip wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 2:05 pm
neilpilot wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 1:47 pm The full featured version of Mobile Passport costs $14.99/yr, with none of the hassles of the GE application and interview. For those BH's who have a hard time parting with $15, you can load the app and then cancel before the 7-day free trial period expires.
The TSA pre-check feature of Global Entry, plus my expectation of extremely short immigration waits, was the reason I went with GE. I had used Mobile Passport recently (at DFW, I think) and it saved no time vs. standard entry. I expected GE to be better (maybe a mistaken assumption for some ports of entry), plus pre-check has value. Mobile passport plus TSA pre-check for 5 years would run 5*$15 + $85 = $160. And would still require an interview.

I would also note that TSA pre-check will be partially handed off to some private sector providers late this year, who will have the ability to set their own prices and expiration periods. That may be a positive, but only time will tell.
My experience differs. First off, for some reason the majority of my domestic air travel receives TSA pre-check even though I haven't subscribed. Secondly, we usually re-enter the USA at BOS and based on our last 4 international returns the Mobile Passport lines were almost non-existent.
MathWizard
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Re: Global Entry [wait time for interview]

Post by MathWizard »

Global entry took about 4 weeks for the appt.

I had to drive 3 1/2 hrs to get to an airport that had a short wait time, but it is good for 5 yrs.

Mobile passport + TSAprecheck might have been as good.
carolc
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Re: Global Entry [wait time for interview]

Post by carolc »

At my interview at Logan, we mostly talked about golfing. 😁

carolc
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